The Counter-Strike Esports World Cup 2024 champions Natus Vincere have been knocked out of the CS2 Esports World Cup 2025 after a 1-2 defeat against 3DMAX.
The yellow and black roster began the series with a narrow 13-10 win on Ancient. Later on, although Natus Vincere finished Nuke's first half with a temporary 8-4 lead, the Frenchmen managed to produce a miraculous comeback after winning eight of their nine final rounds. Finally, on Nuke, 3DMAX ended up giving their opponents a final blow, knocking them out of the competition in the very first round.
In a post-match interview with the event's host, Natus Vincere's captain Aleksi "Aleksib" Virolainen admitted that his failed clutch on Nuke's round seven heavily affected his mentality throughout the rest of the match. The player had attempted to hide in vents but he couldn't do so and got killed by 3DMAX's only player left. This round ended up changing the whole game, as the French lineup won four of the following five rounds, heading to the map's half time with an 8-4 lead. Although Natus Vincere managed to level the series, the reaction came too late.
With this result, 3DMAX will play against tomorrow against The MongolZ in the CS2 Esports World Cup 2025 quarterfinals. The Mongolians are the favorites to take the win, but so were Natus Vincere earlier today. The Frenchmen still have a chance to prove everyone they have what it takes to make a deep international run. Will they do so in Riyadh?
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